Tuesday, October 30, 2012

The Unofficial Matrix RPG

Yesterday I played a great session of Matrix RPG. Got to say I loved it. I played a Zion resistance soldier called "Breaker" my outstanding Matrix feat was a sonic blast I can use as a weapon. Noelle played "Rico-Shay" the hot shot pilot of the Isis our hovercraft. Brian played "Sun Bear" the captain of the Isis and our Matrix programming expert. Together we went out to recover three blue pills or plugged in people as they call them. One John, a so called Kayla and Silva a dropped out burnt student.

I had my doubts about John, or John GQ as I'd end up calling him. Too elegant this kid and I doubted he could endure the hardship of being unplugged. I feared another Cipher But my fears were never to be realized. As we jumped into the Matrix a strange figure got to him first and dissolved his body with a flesh eating virus and stole his eyes. Even though we got there a few minutes past without him taking the red pill there was no way to track his real body and recover it and with it some hope of saving him.

In the commotion created by Rico-Shay jumping from building to building and failing we managed to review the crime scene. Yes she actually fell and drew the cops and emergency team to her. At the crime scene I recovered a swab of John GQ's flesh for analysis and his computer which had a webcam running.

Forensics done in the loading program on the Isis allowed us to review the laptop and get a glimpse of the perpetrator. A strange figure known as the Sandman. Even stranger was what we found on John GQ's body. It was a fast acting virus that causes necrosis. We decompiled it (remember the virus is actually a program), but were unable to find any leads from the way it was built or who built it.

Our luck changed a bit when we went after Kayla. Stubborn as she was she did not heed our warning to meet us in a nearby cemetery. In a small church located inside the cemetery she was cough by the Sandman's minions who were cramming her dead body into a cross. We got there a minute too late to save her, but managed to deal with these creatures. They appeared to be hypnotized or under some type of control. Bullets did little harm so I tried my sonic blast against their heads effectively blasting away their brains and clearing the scene. Rico-Shay tried her pyrokinetic powers and lit some up along with a cross. Although we were too late to save Kayla we found a lead. A smuggler who we could meet and get some information from. We contacted him and set up a meeting the next day at a local bar.

To close off the day we quickly moved to recover our third blue pill, Mr. Silva, who we successfully recovered from a bar. We did the whole blue pill red pill drill quite quickly. Actually being a junkie himself I'm not sure he actually realized the choice he was making, he kinda snatched the red pill out of our hands to swallow it. Nonetheless he enjoyed the trip that's for sure. He sleeps in the Isis for now, his body recovering from never having been used before.

The following day we geared up in the loading program and went down to meet this guy, the smuggler. We walked in not knowing who to meet so we asked for a drink. Myself I asked for a gin and tonic. Fortunately the bartender was unable to put the tonic on the gin before some fellows stood up and threatened us. I slowly turned around with my gin in hand, Sun Bear drew out his AK and Rico-Shay turned to face them as well. As Sun Bear opened fire I blew a banshee scream against the glass sending it against these guys as fast flying shrapnel. Rico-Shay used her power to lite up the alcohol which turned the whole mix of bullets, glass and flaming alcohol into a killer fireball. Only two bodyguards and the smuggler were left standing after this.

At that point we started "negotiating" with him. We obtained as much information as we could about the Sandmand and his intentions, who built the virus and how much more of it was there. The session ended there with us deliberating if we should send this smuggler back to the source or let him be and become useful at some later time.

On the game itself I have to say I really liked the mechanics. It's got 5 attributes, a simple mechanism for skills and feats and I was up and playing without even reading the manual. The checks are done with d10 die pools against your attributes and your Cyberzen which is how tuned into the Matrix your character is and how easy it is for him or her to bend the Matrix.

Tre' Grisby did a fine job at picking the maps and scenarios for the adventure. Some great work for the buildings and the cemetery. It really helped with the setting and getting the action moving fast.

Overall I found the game great to play, quick to get into the action and exactly what I'd expect from a Matrix RPG. In a computer world were bullet-time is the norm your mechanics have to be exceedingly fast and that's what Tre'Grisby gets right with this game.